Have you been lied to?

 

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Within the systems of the world we are taught to build an image for ourselves. The world sells to us ideas like "you don't want anyone to know that you don't know the answer" or "you need to have this and that to be more socially acceptable" or "if you show weakness, people will think that you are pathetic". Some things have been so ingrained in us by the media and culture that we do not even realise it. We have been taught to be fake up to a certain level to avoid rejection or shame even with our closest friends. There will always be a certain culture that your friendship circle creates and if you act outside of that 'norm' then I bet you that you would not be comfortable to share it with anyone.

It breeds certain insecurities in us which can easily isolate us from friends or family because of shame or guilt and make us feel very alone. This is exactly what the devil wants and they are all lies. When he isolates us, his lies can consume us and break us down. Telling us how little we are worth and how we are a burden to everyone. The most fundamental thing that the devil can attack is your identity. The Bible says: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” The moment that we forget who God has made us to be and what our identity is in Christ, it will render us defenceless. God is in us and that makes us stronger than any lie this world can throw at us.

Don't let feelings of guilt or shame destroy beautiful relationships which you have built, including your relationship with God. When we do something that we are ashamed of, it should give us even more reason to run to Jesus, because He forgives freely and takes away all our guilty feelings and shame which the devil taunts us with. He does not judge, but welcomes us with open arms.

The definition of mercy is “not receiving the punishment that we deserve”. The definition of grace is “receiving the abundance of blessings which we don't deserve”. Jesus shows us perfect mercy and gives us perfect grace and in Him there is no condemnation. Nothing can separate you from the love of God.

 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Heb 4:16

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” Rom 8:11

“The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Hillsong United - Bones

What have you said yes to?

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There’s a line in a Jason Upton song, In the beginning Part 2, which just captivated me one day. It says: “Deliver us from the temptations of what we can do, that have trapped us in the bondage of the system of this world.” This line is just incredible, as I understand it, just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean that we SHOULD do it.

“"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.” 1 Cor 10:23

 ““All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 1 Cor 6:12

Paul is saying to the Corinthians that just because all things are permissible, not all things are helpful and uplifting. He mentions that he will not be enslaved to anything. Just because something is permissible, doesn't mean that it is beneficial for our bodies, emotions and spirits. This statement is quite general and hard to confine to a short blog, so I’ll just highlight two things which it immediately speaks to me about.

Firstly, God has called us for a purpose. Certain things we will have to say yes to and certain things we will have to say no to. We cannot do it all, because doing it all will eventually lead to spreading ourselves too thinly and not serving wholeheartedly as God calls us to. We will also end up feeling drained and demotivated. The things that we will have to say no to can be good things, godly things, but things which God has not asked us to do at this moment in time. Or the things that we have to say no to can just be ordinary things, but things that can steal or distract us from what God is asking us to do and these things will always leave us in a place of feeling more drained after we started than before.

You will have to identify for yourself what this can be in your life, there is no list, no set of rules. It can be that God wants you to help a friend or simply rest, but then you feel obligated to be involved in a fundraiser which takes up your whole day. Fundraising is not a bad thing, but it’s not helpful if God has another plan for you or if He knows that you need rest. The same thing with watching television, one day it is fine to watch television for hours, another day it drains you and steals you away from something amazing which God could have shown you that day.

Secondly, we should never become enslaved to anything. To me this means that I should not make anything else more important than God. I should not be enslaved by work, sports, recreational activities or even the opinions of others.  The list is very long and this will be different for every individual, we all know where our weaknesses lie and which things distract us from God.

The point is that when we focus our attention on God, we won’t be so affected by the world and their views and expectations. We won’t feel condemned for not doing something, if God did not ask us to, even if other people don’t see it the way that we do. We need to learn to live life free from the expectations of other. Yes, we will make commitments, have responsibilities and respect others, but we do not need to be conformed to what other people expect us to be.

We need to walk in step with God, so that we always know when to say yes and when to say no. What God asks from every person will be different and there is no set pattern and you cannot ask or look at a friend. It is between you and God and only you will know what is helpful in your life and what is not. You will have to be honest with yourself and maybe even let go of some things which you enjoy. But be certain that the fruit that we reap from walking with God will always outweigh any other benefit that we thought we might have had. In this way we will always be effective in love without becoming drained or discouraged and we will live the life of abundance and joy that God has for us.

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Gal 5:25

Is your god a superhero?

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Today is was thinking about the word “god” or “king” and what they mean in general to the average person. I can maybe imagine a Thor or Zeus like figure riding on clouds, being able to control the wind, rain and lightning. I was thinking about what I would want a good god or king to be like if I had to design one whom I can serve to. I would want him to be powerful, courageous, admirable, glorious, wise, gracious and fair, someone I can aspire to, who is confident in himself and his decisions, someone who is not swayed by fleeting emotions or the opinions of the peanut gallery. He should have authority and respect, be feared in love and admired. He has to have vision to lead the people and put good structures in place to protect them from enemies or a financial crisis. Actually the list goes on and on. Maybe you should take a moment and consider what you would want in a god or a king who you can admire, love, respect and serve.

I think it is quite easy to imagine, because we have so many superhero movies and TV shows today which portray the lives and adventures of kings and gods.

My question then is this, if we can imagine for ourselves the perfect god or king, then why do we so often ask God not to act like the perfect god or king (that we want Him to be) and actually contradict ourselves and our own expectations? Let me explain by example, we want a god who has a backbone, who is confident and secure, but we daily tell God what to do and how to make situations work and then indirectly tell Him that we know better than Him. Or we want a god who is consistent and fair, but we try and manipulate Him by our words or actions and we tell Him to whom He can show mercy and whom we don’t think deserve mercy. We tell Him whom He should judge and discipline, but we let ourselves off the hook too easily.

Do we really think that He is so insecure to fall for our feeble demands, manipulations and tantrums? Do we not realise that He can see through it all, through every thought we have ever had and every motive behind every deed. “But if I do this, surely God will do that” and “if I act like this then surely God would respond like that”.

We are just so foolish. We desire to know an all-powerful God, but we want Him to be controlled by us to suit our needs and selfish desires. Surely a god who bows down to the beck and call of every one of his followers, like an insecure slave, is NOT attractive. I’m not sure about you, but that’s not the type of god that I want to follow. I want to follow a warrior, someone who can lead me to greatness with love and kindness, but fear and respect, someone whom I can trust, who commands with authority and confidence. I don’t want a god who begs: “please follow me, I’ll do anything for you”. No, I want a god who says: “follow me and I’ll teach you how to live a victorious life”

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10

I think you get my point. Today I just realised how small I am in relation to God. I’m a million times smaller than an ant and He is bigger than the universe. Then I started thinking how ridiculous I am. Me the little puny ant making demands at an all-powerful God. If anything, I show say: “God, please have mercy on me, I am but a humble servant”. How amazing that God then takes this humble servant and makes her a princess, the daughter of a King. Wraps her in robes of righteousness and gives her an eternal inheritance. How merciful is He? How just is He? How gracious and faithful is He that even though we mock, slander and tempt Him, He still shows us mercy and kindness.

I want a king and a kingdom that I am willing to die for and how amazing is it that my King has already set the example by dying for me.

“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Romans 9:15-16

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”” Gal 3:13

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 2 Cor 5:21

Level burnout!

You might reach a point where you just feel drained and empty. You just feel as if all you are doing is giving, loving and serving, but you get nothing in return. You start feeling irritable and a little resentful towards other people and you might even think that no one really cares about you, but you just have to care for everyone. I will call it the “burnt-out” level. I think this happens to everyone once in a while and we need to learn how to handle it and take preventative action against it.

When we start our relationship with Jesus He expands our hearts. He gives us the ability to have and receive more love, so that we can give more love, it’s pretty simple. The problem is this, we get used to His overflow of love and we start giving more and more love and the people around us get used to taking more love (because we give more). Then suddenly we get busy, we neglect spending time with Jesus, but we still give, give, give, because we are so used to it and it is now part of our nature to give and love. What we do not realise is that we can only give what we have received and if we don’t spend time with Jesus and get refreshed in Him, we will end up with low levels of love and then resentment and irritation sets in and then suddenly everyone becomes too demanding and everything becomes too much for us to handle.

Don’t get me wrong, we have God is us, so we have all the love that we need in us, but spending time in God’s presence activates our love, it reminds us of who God is and how amazingly gracious and lovable He is and then instantly we just feel fabulous again. We feel as if we just want to burst at the seams with love. We realise that we don’t need to be satisfied by the people around us, but that He can satisfy our every need. He makes us feel worthy, appreciated and most of all incredibly loved. This then catapults us into the world to once again give, love and serve with a genuine smile.

It does not mean that we don’t appreciate or need the love and affection of the people around us, it just means that we don’t have to connect our sense of worth to the amount of love and affection that we receive from the world. God will always make us see how much we are worth and how precious we are and this is where our confidence comes from. God’s words to us are life and as children of God our spirits crave His words every day.

“But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” Matt 4:4

Remember to replenish the “love battery” as my friend described it today. Let us ensure that we spend enough time in God’s presence to prevent “level burnout” and this will enable us to constantly be a joy to everyone around us without feeling irritable or empty. You are SO incredibly loved, believe it!

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

“This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:10

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:1-5

Free from the law

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“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith - just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Gal 3:1-9

Abraham walked with God even before the Law of Moses existed. He believed in God and it was counted to him as righteousness as he walked by faith in a relationship with God. Only thereafter the Law of Moses was set in place for the Jewish people and in order to attain righteousness they needed to uphold the law and priests had to make sacrifices in order to atone for the sins of the people.

God’s intention was not just to save the Jewish people, but also the rest of the world (the gentiles). This could only be made possible by sending Jesus who would die for the sins of the entire world and be the perfect sacrifice. The world now does not have to attain righteousness by living according to the law, but can simply receive righteousness by putting their faith in Jesus and what He has done at the cross.

Even when the law existed God did not judge people by the law per se, but by their hearts. Take David for example, he committed murder and adultery which were both punishable by death according to the law, but the Bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart, because he loved God dearly.

In the scripture above, Paul writes to the Galatians reminding them that their walk with Jesus started by faith, when they believed in Him and not by works of the law. They started drifting and thought that they needed to uphold part of the law and traditions to please God. The Bible says: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Heb 11:6

Let us today not forget that God and God alone is the author and perfecter of our faith and that we do not need to uphold any law to perfect our faith, because we have been made perfect in Jesus. We do not have to work for our salvation (or righteousness) anymore, it is a free gift for all who believe in the name of Jesus. It is only through Him that we can get to the Father. So let’s not allow old traditions or cultures to taint our relationship with Jesus and put us in religious bondage. Let us rather walk in faith, tuning our ears to His voice.

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14

Brandon Heath - Give me your eyes

Grow love not war

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“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:1-9

It is our responsibility to keep our hearts open to God, always ensuring that there is good soil for His words to fall on and take root. The smallest things can hinder us from receiving His words and can make our hearts hard, whether we intend to do it or not. Unforgiveness, resentment, offence, anger, bitterness, anxiousness etc. are examples of seeds which Satan sows and if it takes root in our hearts, can choke the good seeds and steel the good soil. We are the ones who give power to these emotions or weeds as illustrated here and harbouring them is our choice.

I do understand that maybe great injustice has been done to you and forgiving someone for their harsh words or abusive actions might by very difficult, but God does not expect us to do this alone. We can ask Him to help us forgive, even though we struggle, all we need to be is willing to forgive. It is so dangerous to harbour unforgiveness as it breeds hurt, bitterness, contempt and often results in anger.  

When we are angry, the last thing we feel like is being vulnerable or lovable. We put our defences up, harden ourselves and we get ready to fight. Sometimes we just see red and there’s no space for reason. So now you can imagine, God is love. How does He fit into that picture? He doesn’t. When we reach that state, we inadvertently say that I’m here to take revenge and I want justice and someone needs to pay for the way I feel. At that moment we cut God out and our emotions take over and what follows thereafter can only lead to destruction of self and others. Afterwards when our emotions clam down, the last thing we feel is a sense of relief or joy, but rather increased hurt, emptiness and probably remorse.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Eph 4:26-27

When we try and punish someone for the wrong they have done towards us, we end up punishing ourselves more, especially when it involves people close to us. As with all of the lies of the devil, revenge is just another attractive door with a graveyard behind it. Let’s ask God to help us today, to rather choose love and to learn to let go of past things that are dragging us down and keeping our hearts hard. Let’s remove every weed to allow for more space and good soil for God’s words to take root and grow in our hearts and His peace will reign in our hearts.

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col 1:13-14

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Col 3:12-15

The world is wide open - Jason Upton - SUCH a powerful song!

Where are your roots?

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“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer 17:7-8

I find this scripture so amazing. As we trust in the Lord, our roots are always in Him and there will be no fear or worries when trials come and our lives will always be full of life and bearing fruits such as love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, self-control, gentleness, faithfulness and goodness. (Gal 5:22-23)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matt 6:33

As we anchor our roots in God, seeking His kingdom, He will add to us all that we need and even if there is a drought (financial crisis) in the land, we will still prosper and even when trials come, we will still have the joy of the Lord as our strength. He will never leave us or forsake us. He has equipped us for every battle.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

I count it a privilege to be able to walk with God on this journey in life. I know that there is so much to learn and so little time, but He has it all planned and we can be assured that it is beautiful. We each walk our own journey, but our God is still the same. He is love and He has good things planned for His children. Let us walk with one another, encouraging each other to look to Jesus every day. Not to rules or culture, but to a person. Let us encourage each other not to seek the will of man or of church, but the will of God. It is only when we look at our world through His eyes that we can see the needs and the hearts of people and only then we can truly respond, in love, the way in which Jesus would respond. Let us not be put in bondage by our own ideas or the ideas of other people, but let us strive to hear His voice every day, above every other voice and to follow Him wherever He may lead us.

Let us be so close and so rooted in Him and His love that rivers of living water will always flow through us and then our leaves will always be green and we will always bear fruit.